From the end of 2007 to January 2008, SGM Johor held the exhibition “From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit” at four different venues in Johor, spreading the message of opposing the use of nuclear weapons and to create a culture of peace. The exhibition attracted 34,600 spectators.

Johor Bahru
The exhibition was held in two venues in Johor Bahru. From January 4 to 5, 2008, the exhibition was held at the City Square mall. Johor State Secretary Dato’ Abdul Latiff Yusoff was invited to launch the opening. The representative of the State Secretary, Abdul Ghafar in his speech said that SGM has been actively participating in government and societal activities. He hoped that more people could come forward to take part in such constructive and peace-loving events. Three weeks later, the exhibition was held at SGM Johor Culture Centre from January 26 to 31, 2008. It was launched by Member of Parliament, Dr Wee Ka Siong on January 27. He also signed the public petition that was carried out in conjunction with the exhibition. Following the opening ceremony, there was a forum on “True Peace in Malaysia: Transforming the Human Spirit,” chaired by Dr Wee himself, with other representatives including the Johor Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Chief Che Yusof Che Ngah; Andrew Tan and Betty Yeoh. The moderator was Ravi Nambiar, a former senior journalist with the New Straits Times’ Johor Bahru bureau.

Batu Pahat
The exhibition was held from December 28 to 30, 2007 at the Pacific Hypermarket and Departmental Store. In his opening speech, State Assemblyman for Parit Yaani, Ng See Tiong complimented SGM for promoting the message of peace, stating that such spirit should be emulated by others. He hoped that various organisations would join hands to abolish nuclear weapons.

Muar
The exhibition was held from January 11 to 13, 2008 at Chong Hwa II Primary School and was launched by Muar municipal councillor Lee Ching Yong representing the State Assemblyman of Bentayan, Lau Yew Wee. Lee, in his speech, said that the exhibition offered a good opportunity for self education. If people could internalise what they learned from the exhibition, they could bring harmony and prosperity to the society as well as contribute to peace.

“From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit” is organised by the Soka Gakkai International, and co-sponsored by Soka Gakkai Malaysia and Physicians for Peace and Social Responsibility (PPSR), an affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). To date, the exhibition has been viewed by more than 145,000 people. At the same time, in conjunction with the exhibition, around 90,000 people have signed the public petition to lend support to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The exhibition is scheduled to be shown at the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) campus in Sintok, Kedah (March 2008) and SGM Negeri Sembilan Culture Centre, Seremban (April 2008).